Hypericum plant named ‘Allprimo’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Hypericum  plant named ‘Allprimo’, characterized by its relatively short and broadly upright plant habit; moderately vigorous growth habit; dark green-colored leaves; freely flowering habit and high fruit density; glossy whitish-colored fruits; and suitability as a garden and container plant.

Botanical designation: Hypericum hybrida.

Cultivar denomination: ‘ALLPRIMO’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Hypericum plant, botanically known as Hypericum hybrida, typically grown as garden or container plant and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Allprimo’.

The new Hypericum plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Cuijk, The Netherlands. The objective of the breeding program is to create new relatively short Hypericum plants with numerous attractive fruits and good garden and container performance.

The new Hypericum plant originated from an open-pollination in September, 2011 in Cuijk, The Netherlands of a proprietary selection of Hypericum hybrida identified as code number 11-15-11, not patented, as the female, or seed parent with an unknown selection of Hypericum hybrida as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Hypericum plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated open-pollination in a controlled outdoor nursery environment in Cuijk, The Netherlands in September, 2012.

Asexual reproduction of the new Hypericum plant by vegetative cuttings in a controlled outdoor nursery environment in Cuijk, The Netherlands since September, 2012 has shown that the unique features of this new Hypericum plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Hypericum have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Allprimo’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Allprimo’ as a new and distinct Hypericum plant:

-   -   1. Relatively short and broadly upright plant habit.     -   2. Moderately vigorous growth habit.     -   3. Dark green-colored leaves.     -   4. Freely flowering habit and high fruit density.     -   5. Glossy whitish-colored fruits.     -   6. Suitable as a garden and container plant.

Plants of the new Hypericum differ primarily from plants of the female parent selection in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Hypericum produce flattened globular-shaped         fruits whereas plants of the female parent selection produce         oval-shaped fruits.     -   2. Plants of the new Hypericum and the female parent selection         differ in fruit color as plants of the female parent selection         produce green-colored fruits.

Plants of the new Hypericum can be compared to plants of the Hypericum hybrida ‘Allavanti’, not patented. In side-by-side comparisons, conducted in Cuijk, The Netherlands, plants of the new Hypericum differed primarily from plants of ‘Allavanti’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Hypericum were shorter than plants of         ‘Allavanti’.     -   2 Plants of the new Hypericum had larger leaves than plants of         ‘Allavanti’.     -   3. Plants of the new Hypericum and ‘Allavanti’ differed in fruit         color as plants of ‘Allavanti’ produced whitish pink-colored         fruits.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearance of the new Hypericum plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the actual colors of the new Hypericum plant.

The photograph on the first sheet is a side perspective view of a flowering plant of ‘Allprimo’ grown in a container.

The photograph on the second sheet is a close-up view of a typical stem, leaves and developing fruit of ‘Allprimo’.

The photograph on the third sheet is a close-up view of a typical plant of ‘Allprimo’ with mature fruits.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

Plants used for the aforementioned photographs and following description were grown in September in an outdoor nursery in Cuijk, The Netherlands and under cultural practices typical of commercial container Hypericum production. During the production of the plants, day temperatures ranged from 13° C. to 26° C. and night temperatures ranged from 6° C. to 16° C. Plants were seven months old when the photographs and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2015 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Hypericum hybrida ‘Allprimo’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Hypericum             hybrida identified as code number 11-15-11, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unknown selection of Hypericum             hybrida, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type cutting.—Vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About 10 to 14 days at             temperatures about 12° C. to 30° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About 14 to 20 days at             temperatures about 12° C. to 22° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About 24 to 32             days at temperatures ranging from 12° C. to 30° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About 28 to 36             days at temperatures ranging from 12° C. to 22° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fleshy; typically white in color,             actual color of the roots is dependent on substrate             composition, water quality, fertilizer type and formulation,             substrate temperature and physiological age of roots.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; dense. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant and growth habit.—Perennial shrub; relatively short             and broadly upright plant habit; moderately vigorous growth             habit.         -   Branching habit.—Moderately freely basal branching habit;             pinching enhances lateral branch development.         -   Plant height.—About 29.6 cm.         -   Plant width (spread).—About 38.5 cm.         -   Lateral branch description.—Length: About 18.1 cm. Diameter:             About 2.5 mm. Internode length: About 4.6 cm. Strength:             Moderately strong to strong. Texture and luster: Smooth,             glabrous; moderately glossy. Color, developing: Close to             144A to 144B. Color, fully developed: Close to N199C to             N199D. -   Leaf description:     -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite, simple; sessile.         -   Length.—About 5.4 cm.         -   Width.—About 4.5 cm.         -   Shape.—Broadly ovate.         -   Apex.—Shallowly retuse to obtuse.         -   Base.—Truncate to shallowly cordate.         -   Margin.—Entire.         -   Texture and luster, upper and lower surfaces.—Slightly             rugose; glabrous; slightly glossy.         -   Venation pattern.—Pinnate.         -   Color.—Developing leaves, upper surface: Close to 143A.             Developing leaves, lower surface: Close to 143B. Fully             expanded leaves, upper surface: Darker than between NN137A             and 147A; venation, close to N144C. Fully expanded leaves,             lower surface: Close to 137C; venation, close to N144D. -   Flower description:     -   -   Flower type, arrangement and flowering habit.—Single rotate             flowers arranged in terminal and axillary compound cymes;             freely flowering habit with about nine flowers per cyme and             about 160 flowers developing per plant; flowers face mostly             upright.         -   Fragrance.—None detected.         -   Natural flowering season.—Plants flower continuously from             late June to early September in The Netherlands.         -   Flower longevity.—Flowers last about two or three days on             the plant; flowers not persistent.         -   Fruit longevity (postproduction).—About 30 days.         -   Flower buds.—Length: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 7 mm.             Shape: Broadly ovoid to roughly globular. Color: Close to             12A.         -   Inflorescence height.—About 4.9 cm.         -   Inflorescence diameter.—About 9 cm.         -   Flower diameter.—About 2.8 cm.         -   Flower depth (height).—About 1.4 cm.         -   Petals.—Quantity and arrangement: Five in a single whorl.             Length: About 1.4 cm. Width: About 8 mm. Shape: Ovate,             concave; slightly reflexed. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate.             Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,             glabrous. Luster, upper surface: Matte. Luster, lower             surface: Slightly glossy. Color: When opening and fully             opened, upper surface: Close to 13A; color becoming closer             to 13B with development. When opening and fully opened,             lower surface: Close to 12A.         -   Sepals.—Quantity and arrangement: Five in a single whorl.             Length: About 8 mm. Width: About 6 mm. Shape: Broadly ovate.             Apex: Broadly acute to obtuse. Base: Broadly cuneate.             Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth,             glabrous. Luster, upper and lower surfaces: Dull. Color:             When opening and fully opened, upper surface: Close to             between 141A and 143A. When opening and fully opened, lower             surface: Close to 138B.         -   Peduncles.—Length: About 2.2 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm.             Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Strength: Moderately strong.             Aspect: Erect to about 40° from vertical. Color: Close to             144A.         -   Pedicels.—Length: About 2.1 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm.             Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Strength: Moderately strong.             Aspect: Erect to about 50° from vertical. Color: Close to             144A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: About 90.             Filament length: About 1 mm. Filament color: Close to 12A.             Anther length: About 0.5 mm. Anther shape: Broadly oval;             dorsifixed. Anther color: Close to 19A. Pollen amount:             Scarce. Pollen color: Close to 11A. Pistils: Quantity per             flower: Single pistil with three stigmas. Pistil length:             About 4 mm. Stigma shape: Club-shaped. Stigma color: Close             to 29C. Style length: About 3.5 mm. Style color: Close to             154C to 154D. Ovary color: Close to 150C.         -   Fruits.—Quantity per plant: About 160. Length: About 1.1 cm             Diameter: About 1.1 cm. Shape: Flattened globular. Texture:             Smooth, glabrous. Luster: Glossy. Color: Close to between             155A and 159D.         -   Seeds.—Length: About 0.9 mm. Diameter: About 0.5 mm. Color:             Close to 200A. -   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Hypericum have not been     observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to Hypericum     plants. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Hypericum have been     observed to tolerate high temperatures about 30° C. and to be hardy     to USDA Hardiness Zone 7. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Hypericum plant named ‘Allprimo’ as illustrated and described. 